Bree Newsome Bass, Taking a Stand Against the Confederate Flag

Bree Newsome Bass, Taking a Stand Against the Confederate Flag

Activist Bree Newsome Bass risked it all in 2015, climbing to the top of a flagpole in Columbia, South Carolina, to remove a confederate flag. It happened around 5:30 on a Saturday morning. Bass, who was 30 at the time, was an activist hailing from North Carolina determined to remove the flag pitched atop the South Carolina statehouse grounds. It was an act that followed the Charleston Massacre when nine Black Americans were killed at the hands of a white supremacist during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Newsome’s act quickly made national headlines. Officers called for her to come down, but she pressed on and removed the flag. She famously recited “The Lord is my shepherd” as she was led away in handcuffs by officers. The flag was placed back up 45 minutes later, but the impact of her act lasted much longer. Later that day, #FreeBree was trending on Twitter, and a crowdfunding page to help her bail out of jail reached more than $100,000. Newsome was charged with defacing monuments on the Capitol grounds. It was a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $5,000, an imprisonment term of up to three years or both. She and James Ian Tyson, a 30-year-old who was also charged, were later released on bond. Newsome’s actions five years ago were echoed in masses after the police killing of Geroge Floyd. Many still look up to her as a hero.